X-Men '97

Previously on X-Men...

Memories are merely dim images echoing with emotion.

Does it matter if you heard his first cries,

if you remember how it felt to hear them?

Look, he has your eyes.

That's my boy, Nathan Summers.

Blood is blood. Family is a choice.

To let go of the past and simply be family.

I'll tell you, those legends really didn't do my folks justice.

The day you were born, your mother told me you had my eyes.

I love you, son.

Something or someone yanked our friends through time.

- Are you okay? - We're not alone.

My name is Jean Grey.

You may call me Mother Askani.

I sense no need to be afraid.

Nathan, come.

Nathan?

Months after the X-Men's disappearance,

the school they once called home sits in ruins.

A former sanctuary for young mutants,

now the haunting wreckage of a shattered dream.

Also in other news...

Ever since the X-Men disappeared,

your present starts to look more like my future every day.

A dash of optimism wouldn't hurt, Bishop.

Haven't even tested this damn thing.

You confirmed the lock on their locations?

Since they went missing, there have been ripples in the time stream.

I've been able to track the deviations back to two different points in time.

Ancient Egypt, 3000 BCE,

and the 40th century.

We're looking at two of the darkest ages for humanity.

And they both have one thing in common.

Apocalypse.

The dawn of his first reign and the ultimate height of his power.

And I thought inventing time travel was gonna be the hard part.

I'll take the past.

- Figure your heart's set on the future? - Mmm-hmm.

First jump's pretty rough.

Breathe. Relax.

Go with time's tide.

Bishop, this device spits in the face of time.

You can apologize to it later.

We got to get the X-Men back to the '90s.

Surrender, mutant,

or face the wrath of our Lord and Savior, Apocalypse.

I shoulda gone to the past.

Phew! To quote my dear friend,

"Oh, my stars and garters."

Save the yuk-yuks.

Got to get moving,

before another round of those tin cans gets a bead on our location.

Daniel?

What mighty winds have brought you here?

Plenty of tricks up my sleeve, honey.

Including round-trip tickets back home for the whole team.

What?

I don't like that face.

Lot's gone down since Asteroid M.

It's my fault.

I sent Nathan here in the first place for a better future.

But look around.

The least I can do is be a part of his life for a few moments.

Do some good.

You see, Forge, there's no harm in us tagging along.

Jean, I understand.

But we have no idea who or what sent you through time.

Whatever it was,

it chose to send you all to pivotal moments in Apocalypse's life.

Now, what if they sent you to stop Cable from becoming the soldier he needs to be?

And what if we were sent here

to make him the soldier that will defeat Apocalypse?

We're almost at the Askani base of operations.

At least give us the day to say goodbye.

Fine. You get one day.

Then we're out of here.

Before we break the whole damn timeline.

You disturb my regeneration.

Lord Apocalypse,

I come with good news.

We have located a potential new vessel for you.

A body that will ensure

you need never endure the pain of regeneration again.

Who?

Who is this new vessel?

He is a telepath.

A young boy the Askani aim to make their savior.

Then bring him to me.

Take my Horsemen.

Do what must be done to recover this child.

Learn to control it so it doesn't control you.

But I don't understand.

How can you use your mind to command the virus?

It doesn't even hurt much anymore.

Telekinesis is all about focus.

So long as you keep on your training,

you'll be able to focus through the pain too.

Hard to believe that some sick kid fighting an illness

is supposed to grow up to fight Apocalypse.

Believe me, kid, that's exactly why you're the one who will.

You've been fighting for every second of your life, Nathan.

Since the day you were born.

That's what Mother Askani always says, but...

I don't know.

What?

Nothing.

Nathan.

- There's... - Hey, hey.

We found a baseball in the latest supply run.

Figure Nathan may want to do something else

with his techno cooties arm.

Can I, please?

Go. Have some fun.

Sometimes I worry Mother Askani cooked up this prophecy

to make him feel better.

"You're not an orphan with an incurable robot virus,"

"you're destined to save the world."

Don't know if the weight of the world being put on your shoulders

makes a kid feel better, Scott.

Gives what he's lost and what he will lose a purpose.

We have to tell him who we are.

Finally say hello.

Just to hit him with goodbye?

We can't risk disrupting the timeline.

Screw any timeline that won't let a son be with his parents.

Maybe we should just take him with us.

Forge would never let us.

And the Askani would kill us if we tried.

Not if their mother tells them not to.

Go to her.

Go to Mother Askani and make her see.

Bright morrow.

What brings you forth?

I wanted to thank you for taking me and my friends in these past few months.

We Askani have a saying.

"Thanks for today. Please for tomorrow."

Yes, I've heard it.

You believe fate must be embraced.

And you wrestle with such a burden?

No, not me.

You.

You're here about Nathan's prophecy.

Is it true?

You think I deceive a desperate group of refugees

for the sake of what?

Authoring fairy tales?

Authoring hope.

This prophecy, where did it come from? Who wrote it?

All that is known is a child was born on the day of spring

who would end That Which Shall Survive

and shatter the Rocks of the Eternal Shore,

the cradle of Apocalypse's power,

giving rise to his end.

Nathan kill Apocalypse?

He's just a boy.

Not just a boy.

Do not defy time.

Your season is summer, his is spring.

Separate, but together, you both can help abate winter.

Enough riddles.

Who are you really?

These answers you seek do not serve Nathan,

or his destiny.

What then?

After he fulfills his grand destiny?

Then it ends.

That's not good enough for me.

None escape the whims of time.

I just don't understand how you, of all people,

with your respect for the natural order of things,

could tamper with the ti...

I will not apologize for giving a parent a chance to say goodbye to their child.

I know more about building satellites than raising kids.

Been nothing but a rodeo since we met.

We never really got a chance to sit down

and figure out how this is gonna work.

How what will work?

A man of science, a woman of faith, dating.

Um, you lovebirds seen Nathan?

We were supposed to play catch,

but then he grabbed the baseball and ran off with Scott and Jean.

Maybe he doesn't get you're supposed to throw it back.

- They wouldn't. - They didn't.

Hey, what's going on?